Wanshou Palace rises from ruins to reclaim cultural, commercial status

However, by the 1990s, with the acceleration of urbanization and the emergence of new commercial districts, the once-thriving commercial district around Wanshou Palace had declined. The area had become a shantytown and its cultural heritage risked being erased.

In 2013, the local government decided to restore Wanshou Palace, investing over 2 billion yuan ($280 million) to create a cultural block near the original site.

On the eve of the 2021 Spring Festival, the Wanshou Palace Historical and Cultural Block opened for trial operations.

The open-air block features six distinct precincts, including restaurants, coffee shops and bars, and tourist gift shops. By October 2022, the block had received over 8.5 million tourist visits, according to Nanchang Municipal People's Government information.

By 2024, Nanchang had emerged as a popular tourist destination, with the block a major tourist attraction that recorded 26.7 million visitor arrivals.